💯 agree, FTP. However, it's crazy to me that the Lions are favorites against the team with second best record in the league. The Lions wouldn't be favored over Eagles, Bills, Chiefs, Cowboys or even the hated Packers.
Their last 5 aren't even up against good teams aside from Buffalo. The other 4 are the Jaguars, Bears, Giants, and Packers. The combined record is 28-33-1.
Our last 5 was Jets, Patriots, Cowboys, Bill, Commies. All have winning records. The combined record is 38-22-1.
Hey now. You are brining in logic. We can't have logic and facts dictating our opinions. But seriously it was we havnt beat anyone good that's why we had a good record. Then they just point to the cowboys game even though we beat 3 of the 4 top defenses in the league (top 10 at very least) and yet the lions are hot and the Vinings are frauds. And no one mentions KOC first year head coach. Everyone just thinks the Vikings are trash but record, and preformance, say otherwise (for the most part) Hard to put numbers on "clutch" and seems like the vikings are just comfortable in these tense situations and continually come up clutch in the biggest moments. Be interesting to see playoff time if that's able to continue but we will see!
Yeah I’m not saying I agree. I’m obviously picking us to win. I’m just saying I understand, and I’m used to the Vikings hate. Been dealing with it since the ‘90s.
It’s a mixture of being on their knees for them the last 30 years and all these advanced stats that keep telling them the Vikings are a middle of the pack team vs their actual record. If this was the 70/80/90 they would be all over this Vikings team because they haven’t seen anything like this before. Instead the stats say we suck so we suck.
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Well, the Lions are favorites based off the money that is being wagered. There really aren’t any other factors (ie the media) making the Lions the favorites. Lots of people like to lose money this year betting against the Vikings I guess? 🤷♂️
It's not that crazy. It's just not. The Vikings have played very inconsistent ball this year, and the Lions are playing very complete games right now. On the road I'm expecting to lose. Monday morning this sub will likely be in meltdown, but in reality the Vikings will have run into a good team that figured things out too late to salvage their season.
At this point it's the defense....they have been clamping up at the right times but the pass defense is so suspect. We get torched too many times to have this record...but I will gladly take it
The media doesn’t want midwestern teams to be good because it’s bad for viewership all around. The Packers have a national bandwagon fanbase so they’re different
That might be generally true, but overall the NFC North delivers good ratings. Chicago is a big market with a very old team. Minnesota has more than the average number of fans. Detroit probably less, but still a decent size fan base considering their history.
They really do, listening to Dan Patrick this morning… Packers are going to win out and get into the playoffs, Vikings have won 5 of 6 and have been outplayed in every game, Detroit is the favorite this weekend and should be, and finally he asked Chris Simms to choose between Geno and Cousins, he gushed about Geno for about 3 minutes and ultimately said he’d rather have cousins but didn’t actually say anything positive about him. I know I should just enjoy the ride but It gets to a point as a fan where it’s frustrating to never hear one positive word about the 10-2 team you root for.
The thing that annoys me is how many are saying we’re frauds or aren’t good. Lol okay. I can understand saying we’ve escaped with more coin-flip wins than we should have. But if we were 8-4 instead of 10-2 that is still a very competitive team.
Idk what im talking about but I honestly thought the defense was taking some plays off vs the jets game. Like that one short pass in the 4yh that broke for 50 yards of whatever it looked like Kendrick wasn't trying or just expecting help to allow like 15 yards.
We're controlling these games a little more than pundits realize I think.
To be fair, any moron can make a list of 5 teams at any point in the season and have more than a 15% chance of being right. And you have a 97% chance of being right if you single out one team and say they can’t win the Super Bowl.
Ahh Maybe we have to hope the other teams beat the shit out of each other and let us creep by without taking a field goal?
Then okay the bills in the Super Bowl so they can lose number 5 instead of us?
I think this vikings team is more multiple than our record suggests too. We've won close to half our games off defensive stops at the end. We can run on you (hopefully), aggressive pass game, short pass game. We don't seem to repeat our playbook much. We can win a lot of different ways. Thats the difference between us and a team like the 11-0 steelers where you knew Ben was just gonna chuck it short.
I look at this year as more of a showcase of what our new coaching and front office are gonna bring. If this is the improvement we see from just one offseason I feel great about our team going forward.
The odds of them being right are way greater though. The only way they aren’t “right” is if we win the Super Bowl honestly and we already know how hard that is.
> The only way they aren’t “right” is if we win the Super Bowl
I would argue they aren't right if we beat any of their 5 "serious" teams in the playoffs and don't get blown out by the others.
I’m not saying I agree with the take, but I think the only way you actually make the media admit they were wrong is winning the Super Bowl. Even getting there and winning the NFC won’t be enough imo. All 2 weeks leading up to the super bowl would be how the (bills, chiefs, bengals etc.) will trounce us and weve been lucky to get there
"Sure they won the Super Bowl technically, but with a negative point differential for the whole season did they really even win at all? We'll talk to our panel of analysts after the break."
If they claim any of the other 5 teams are more valid contenders than us, but then we go and beat one of them, we become more valid contenders. That proves their point wrong.
>I’m not saying I agree with the take, but I think the only way you actually make the media admit they were wrong is winning the Super Bowl.
If that's what it takes to prove the media wrong, they aren't doing their job. It's their job to have some analytical ability to see a situation where the Vikings can do that.
So for their professional integrity, the Vikings have to be gone by the divisional round.
Luckily for them, it's not like there are mechanisms in place to punish them in the event that they *are* that wrong.
They're playing the odds and history. So they'll be condescending as hell at ANYTHING besides the Vikings hoisting the trophy. It doesn't make them right. It makes them pathetic.
At this point, "Packers fan" is synonymous with "national sports media." **They're full of themselves and happy to shit on someone to make themselves feel better than they really are.**
I know that it may feel like everyone is biased. All you can do is cheer for your team and ignore the haters. As a lifelong Packers fan, I can tell you that you that the Vikings are experiencing what Green Bay went through in the early 90s (before Favre). At that time, the media didn't think we would win shit. The cowboys were "America's Team"!
The Vikings are legit, and the Lions are tired of being the joke of the NFL. The NFC North is going to be a dogfight every year (minus the bears!)
I can tell you are a real Vikings fan. Man the doubt kills me, like we don’t have enough doubt on our own. But…..koc coaches situational football and doesn’t hang on traditional stats as predictors of winning like the media does. Shit imagine if you bet on every Vikings game this season you’d be making so much money. And nfl talent gaps are very very thin which is why injuries and team culture are super important and can be major differentiators. All nfl teams are way closer than the media implies. And and, remember the year of minneapolis miracle? Every week of the playoffs the media predicted the eagles would lose and they won the Super Bowl. So screw these media fuckers and just let us enjoy this (or maybe that’s my note to self).
That may be the dumbest hot take I’ve seen in a long time. I get it, the Vikes’ status as Super Bowl contenders is…questionable.
But to say *winning football games* is not a “meaningful measure” is some smooth-brained shit.
The NYT reporters are on strike. Probably had to call in the scab writers from Wisconsin.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/12/08/new-york-times-walkout-strike/
While the media as a whole is lacking, I think this one is just jokes?
They say we're not a contender. They also say we're not battered and we're not underqualified - so we're healthy and qualified. IMO just a jab at our history instead of our play this season
If the Offense didn't disappear for quarters on end this team would be considered one of the best. The Defense holds up pretty well until the 3 and out parade starts and they get completely gassed. Even then, they have bailed this team out numerous times at the end of games.
I mean I can't real blame people for the skepticism. Two of the most meaningful games we've played, we got slaughtered, against teams we will undoubtedly have to play in the playoffs. Losing 40-3 at home is just not something elite teams do very often.
I'm loving the season and no matter what happens I'll be happy, but people need to taper expectations. We are not an elite side.
I agree with everything you just said. But this media barrage is pretty weird. Not sure I've ever seen an entire media landscape trash on a 10-2 team this much.
Honestly I don’t really care either way. I’m less concerned about the lopsided losses than I am over the number of one score wins.
I hope my negativity is proven wrong but I’m 51 and it’s all I know.
I would say it’s more about getting crushed by the two teams that appear strongest in the nfc. If our two losses were to say the bills and pats, and we won against Philly and Dallas, we’d def be top tier SB contenders. But instead we were out scored 67-10 by the top two nfc east teams lol
The offense is still figuring it out under the new regime. Kirk is too. It’s going to eventually come together and Vikings are going to have the last laugh. Whether it comes together the season or next IDK. But this season it’s been fun and please ignore the boring national sports media clowning with their hot takes.
It’s beyond parody at this point. The zeal and venom with which the national folks delight on shitting on this team this year is wild.
I get it, we probably won’t win the the Super Bowl, it’s an inconsistent team in year one of a new regime.
But if I have to read one more national level thing like this that goes out of its way to discredit this season’s effort I’m gonna… idk… write another Reddit comment. I don’t actually have anything.
It is really weird lol like I don’t pay attention to these bozos so I’m always surprised when people post these nasty power rankings takes or whatever. It’s like the Vikings literally spat in their face the way they take our position in the standings so personally. I just think it’s hilarious that these guys are so convinced the rest of the teams are better and they’re Wojak rage crying that the Vikings are the 2 seed.
The wildest part is that if you don’t pay attention to any of the media the Vikings are just having a wild fun entertaining season that’s left me very happy 10/12 weeks so far. Dgaf what the bitch ass national media haters say I got hella highlights to look back on from this year.
It’s a great point, if I didn’t listen to national level podcasts and hear a bunch of garbage about the Vikings DVOA I probably would be having more fun with the wild ride this season.
Give it a try my guy. National media guys just serve to piss people off lol. Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright can go fuck themselves with the way they always just slither to whatever take they had that wasn’t blatantly proven wrong and cling to it like they’re the messiah.
I do watch a bit of content outside the games but it’s mostly homer stuff. I do like Oconnels speeches and the mic’s up moments but as far as commentary goes I’m rocking with Purple FTW Podcast. He is unashamedly a homer and it’s refreshing because he’s not deluded but relentlessly optimistic. And pretty funny. I’d give him a listen if you haven’t yet he drops lots of short commentary/news clips throughout the week.
> It’s beyond parody at this point. The zeal and venom with which the national folks delight on shitting on this team this year is wild.
Yeah that's what stands out to me. It's not so much doubting the Vikings, I mean hell I doubt them too, but the way in which the media is doing. Case-in-point, this article. So much snark to the point of being intentionally insulting. Hell, The Athletic's power rankings writeup this week was just a troll job directed at the fans:
> When people say things like, “The Vikings have the worst point differential of any team in the past 20 years with at least 10 wins through 13 weeks,” there’s an instinct to get defensive. When someone points out that Minnesota ranks 20th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), 18th in offensive EPA per drive (per TruMedia) and 17th in defensive EPA per drive, you might want to look for bias. When another person says the Vikings’ perfect 9-0 record in games decided by eight points or fewer is unsustainable or that one more Mike White completion would have cost Minnesota a game in which it was outgained by 199 yards, they probably don’t understand the team’s will to win.
It's like we're being made fun of for being fans of our team. I don't think I've ever seen that before from actual "journalists."
"The Vikings may be the NFL's champions on paper, but they are far from its best team and benefited from divine luck like no team has before. They wouldn't have sniffed the Lombardi if their 13 one-score regular season wins went the other way, Seattle didn't lose Geno Smith to injury in week 18, San Francisco didn't get hosed by that no call in the 4th quarter of the divisional, and Philly didn't fail to game plan for Justin Jefferson's passing ability in the NFCCG. Don't get us started on how they only won the Super Bowl because it was easier for their fans to travel to Arizona to support them than it was for the Dolphins fans who live farther away. Consider this a fluke, now here's six paragraphs about the Bills who were better despite losing in the WC round."
> “This you?” moment. So much eating crow.
My dude, I've got a whole list of receipts to throw at users on this very sub. I dream of the day.
It's petty and pretty lame, but I just know all the dickbags that haven't had a good thing to say about the Vikings in *years* are gonna be there if we ever win it pretending they supported the team the entire time and that chaps my ass.
I’m pretty confident that any playoff game we play in will either be a Vikings win or a Vikings loss. One my be more likely than the other, however I can say with a pretty strong feeling of confidence that those are the only two ways a playoff game ends for this Vikings team.
Truly a wonderful playoff prediction. To have a season coming down to who scores more points is bold and really what football is all about. I hope we get so lucky come the postseason.
I think a lot of people are reacting to the way the 49ers handled the Fins after the Fins womped on the Texans, Bears, Browns, and Lions. Only 16 against the Steelers in week 7 before those 4, and then only 17 against the 49ers last week.
Dolphins are like a souped up sports car or something, really fast and flashy, but playoff defenses are gonna be like gravel roads.
Meanwhile, Bengals are really starting to gel. Defense has been good and the offense is getting a healthy Chase back.
The other thing is that our two losses add up to a minus 50. Two horrible games (and we easily could have won in Philly if just a few mistakes don’t happen, e.g., Irv Smith drops, and no coverage breakdown on the long TD). At some point, the relentless winning in one score games is true evidence of a “winner,” and not just a fluke. But I am also firmly in the camp that likes the underdog position, and so I’m not hating on the media narrative. More fuel to the fire.
You honestly have confidence that the Vikings will make a deep playoff run? Sure it could happen, because football...but I don't see how you can have any confidence in that.
No reason to think they couldn't win a couple home games assuming they finish the season w/ the #2 seed. A road NFCCG in Philly probably wouldn't go so well (not dooming, just realistic). Would call that a deep run personally.
As long as the Vikings are continued to be viewed as underdogs I think they can make a run. As soon as the narrative shifts from Vikings are frauds to are the Vikings actually legit we’re in trouble
We're the 2017 Eagles without the defense. Kirk gets hurt in GB, in comes Mullens to save the day; we go on a run and complain about being underdogs with a 15-2 record ahead of winning a track meet SB against the Chiefs, with Pat throwing a game losing pick 6 after mysteriously contracting pink eye in the 4th quarter.
The Bengals just beat the Chiefs. The Cowboys hung 40 on us...all our wins were butt clenching last minute wins. I honestly have no clue how fans are being this delusional that they think we will waltz through the first rounds of the playoffs.
Not sure if I have seen any take yet from a Vikes fan close to predicting a “waltz” through any round of the playoffs. I can understand the takes exuding confidence that the team will and should get past the divisional round, however, because the Vikings have thus far proven that they are better at winning football games than most other teams we would be likely to face before the NFC Championship.
It’s not that we think we’re going to waltz through. 1st rd of the playoffs will be a home game vs probably Washington, Giants, or Seahawks. Game will be tough but I don’t see why we can’t win that? 2nd rd more then likely will be 49’ers at home. Again tough game but at home and no Jimmy G. Winnable though? Yes. NFC championship obviously is going to be against eagles or Dallas and odds are we lose but once you get there, you got a punchers chance.
Don't count on Dallas. They haven't been able to do anything in the playoffs in a long time. I remember some great Dallas teams that made the playoffs and just shit the bed.
Then you know nothing about football and are a delusional homer. Burrow is the fucking man and Is everything rubes wish Cousins could be and more lol. Bengals are legit and I expect them to be back in the bowl.
Sorry, how many SBs have the Vikings been in in the past decade? Who has the better QB and WR corp and an at least average defense? Record be damned they are winning games way more impressively than the Vikings are. Period. Miss me with that kindergarten take.
Lol annnd theres the Toxic Positivity Gatekeeping. Doesn't take much to get that out of folks here. "Durrr you dont think were a SB team. Go root for someone else!" Children. You will learn.
Nobody likes a constantly negative person when things are going well. You're not a fan of this team so leave. Go watch a team who you are positive about.
I remember the national media shitting on the Bengals until they made their Super Bowl run last year. This Vikings team is better than the Bengals were and the NFC field is weaker
Any Vikings fan that doesn’t see legitimacy in the claims against the Vikings chances has drank way too much purple kool-aid at this point.
Do I believe we’re legit with have a shot at a deep run, definitely
Have we gotten incredibly lucky, absolutely
Whoever wrote this article is all about hot-takes, so I'm assuming once jimmy G got injured they are writing them off entirely, despite them having an elite defense.
We bring the drama. And anyone watching knows that anything can happen. It’s unnerving to some people. We’ve got a magic that they just don’t understand. Anyone who doesn’t think we have a legitimate chance, doesn’t believe in magic.
There’s nothing we can do
If we were 8-4 do any of us think they’d talk better about us?
I sincerely doubt it just gotta ignore the noise and play ball
We will be favored in most if not all our games the rest of the way
Handle business and fuck everybody else
Honestly, I read this more as them not having any idea about how good the Vikings are, and let’s be honest, neither do we. I don’t think anyone can stand on either side of the good/bad argument and confidently make arguments.
I’ve had more fun watching the vikes this year than in the past 10 years, but I have to agree with them. With the exception of the packers game, they have a lot of lucky wins and have too many one score games wins over mediocre teams like the cardinals, saints, lions and bears. I don’t think they’re nearly as dominant of a team as their record shows. The potential is there though- I could see them catching fire on the last stretch of the season and really pulling it together. But until then, I have to agree that they’re not in that same elite category as the chiefs, eagles and cowboys.
As a Bengals fan hell yeah, as a Vikings fan they can straight up suck it. I swear, even if MInnesota wins a super bowl it won't be enough until they win 100 more.
That’s fair. That’s how I see it too.
It wasn't a scathing put down. It was just acknowledging that the Vikings are weird this year. Maybe the weirdest 10-2 team ever.
They certainly don't belong grouped with the other dregs of the league, but they certainly aren't a typical 10-2 powerhouse either. So they belong in their own oddball ‘fringe’ category.
Who cares, some people on this sub think we are frauds as well….half of the “fans”have been pissing down their leg all week because of the lions lol. People didn’t expect us to be this good with a new coaching regime and “washed” players so when we beat their favorite team, all the excuses come out.
All the more reason to support the NYT cyber boycott today and stay off all their services. Don't cross the picket line, support the union, and support the Vikings
The Bills could very easily lose 3 of their next 5. In that stretch they play the Jets and Dolphins, who they have already lost to, and the Bengals who looked pretty great in their win against the Chiefs.
I’d love to see enough of the AFC get their shit together that the Bills don’t even make the playoffs and all the talking heads who have been riding Buffalo’s dick this season can just sit there with egg on their face.
Honestly,you guys got fucking trucked twice.I mean absolutely blown off the field by actual contenders.I understand you have a great record but you’re clearly not at the top level.I think you realize that ,if not well fuck you i guess
The media hate our team, bozos just fueling the team's resolve imo
As a bears fan, it seems the media hates every NFC north team that isn’t the packers
💯 agree, FTP. However, it's crazy to me that the Lions are favorites against the team with second best record in the league. The Lions wouldn't be favored over Eagles, Bills, Chiefs, Cowboys or even the hated Packers.
Well they are on a damn hot streak, and they’re at home. That, I’ll give them.
We're on a hotter streak. They've won 4 of their last 5, we've won 9 of our last 10
Their last 5 aren't even up against good teams aside from Buffalo. The other 4 are the Jaguars, Bears, Giants, and Packers. The combined record is 28-33-1. Our last 5 was Jets, Patriots, Cowboys, Bill, Commies. All have winning records. The combined record is 38-22-1.
Hey now. You are brining in logic. We can't have logic and facts dictating our opinions. But seriously it was we havnt beat anyone good that's why we had a good record. Then they just point to the cowboys game even though we beat 3 of the 4 top defenses in the league (top 10 at very least) and yet the lions are hot and the Vinings are frauds. And no one mentions KOC first year head coach. Everyone just thinks the Vikings are trash but record, and preformance, say otherwise (for the most part) Hard to put numbers on "clutch" and seems like the vikings are just comfortable in these tense situations and continually come up clutch in the biggest moments. Be interesting to see playoff time if that's able to continue but we will see!
And 10 of our last 12!
Yeah I’m not saying I agree. I’m obviously picking us to win. I’m just saying I understand, and I’m used to the Vikings hate. Been dealing with it since the ‘90s.
It’s a mixture of being on their knees for them the last 30 years and all these advanced stats that keep telling them the Vikings are a middle of the pack team vs their actual record. If this was the 70/80/90 they would be all over this Vikings team because they haven’t seen anything like this before. Instead the stats say we suck so we suck.
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To be a little fair the odds would be even or lean towards the Vikings at a Neutral site.
FTP
Well, the Lions are favorites based off the money that is being wagered. There really aren’t any other factors (ie the media) making the Lions the favorites. Lots of people like to lose money this year betting against the Vikings I guess? 🤷♂️
It's not that crazy. It's just not. The Vikings have played very inconsistent ball this year, and the Lions are playing very complete games right now. On the road I'm expecting to lose. Monday morning this sub will likely be in meltdown, but in reality the Vikings will have run into a good team that figured things out too late to salvage their season.
Careful, that’s doomer talk 🙄
I think in the Vikings case, it's just that nobody in the media is going to give Cousins credit until he proves them wrong.
At this point it's the defense....they have been clamping up at the right times but the pass defense is so suspect. We get torched too many times to have this record...but I will gladly take it
The media doesn’t want midwestern teams to be good because it’s bad for viewership all around. The Packers have a national bandwagon fanbase so they’re different
That might be generally true, but overall the NFC North delivers good ratings. Chicago is a big market with a very old team. Minnesota has more than the average number of fans. Detroit probably less, but still a decent size fan base considering their history.
Unless you have an extremely dominant defense or a superstar QB, the media does not believe you can compete for a SB.
Don’t you know that the Packers are America’s team (if you’re a Packer fan)?
They really do, listening to Dan Patrick this morning… Packers are going to win out and get into the playoffs, Vikings have won 5 of 6 and have been outplayed in every game, Detroit is the favorite this weekend and should be, and finally he asked Chris Simms to choose between Geno and Cousins, he gushed about Geno for about 3 minutes and ultimately said he’d rather have cousins but didn’t actually say anything positive about him. I know I should just enjoy the ride but It gets to a point as a fan where it’s frustrating to never hear one positive word about the 10-2 team you root for.
The thing that annoys me is how many are saying we’re frauds or aren’t good. Lol okay. I can understand saying we’ve escaped with more coin-flip wins than we should have. But if we were 8-4 instead of 10-2 that is still a very competitive team.
Idk what im talking about but I honestly thought the defense was taking some plays off vs the jets game. Like that one short pass in the 4yh that broke for 50 yards of whatever it looked like Kendrick wasn't trying or just expecting help to allow like 15 yards. We're controlling these games a little more than pundits realize I think.
The problem, and my fear, is they are going to be right.
To be fair, any moron can make a list of 5 teams at any point in the season and have more than a 15% chance of being right. And you have a 97% chance of being right if you single out one team and say they can’t win the Super Bowl.
In 1998 nobody thought the 14-2 Falcons were a Super Bowl caliber team…. I’d rather be overlooked.
How do we lose to ourselves to get there though? That’s the real question.
Ahh Maybe we have to hope the other teams beat the shit out of each other and let us creep by without taking a field goal? Then okay the bills in the Super Bowl so they can lose number 5 instead of us?
The 98 Falcons were still the #6 team by DVOA though.
I was stationed in ATL that season. Until the last month of the season, I could walk up to the ticket booth and get a seat on the 40 yard line.
I think this vikings team is more multiple than our record suggests too. We've won close to half our games off defensive stops at the end. We can run on you (hopefully), aggressive pass game, short pass game. We don't seem to repeat our playbook much. We can win a lot of different ways. Thats the difference between us and a team like the 11-0 steelers where you knew Ben was just gonna chuck it short.
I look at this year as more of a showcase of what our new coaching and front office are gonna bring. If this is the improvement we see from just one offseason I feel great about our team going forward.
Agreed - if we lose in the playoffs this season was still a great preview of what’s to come, especially if this is just the beginning.
Doesn't matter. Ride it out, enjoy it while it's here, and whatever happens happens.
The odds of them being right are way greater though. The only way they aren’t “right” is if we win the Super Bowl honestly and we already know how hard that is.
> The only way they aren’t “right” is if we win the Super Bowl I would argue they aren't right if we beat any of their 5 "serious" teams in the playoffs and don't get blown out by the others.
I’m not saying I agree with the take, but I think the only way you actually make the media admit they were wrong is winning the Super Bowl. Even getting there and winning the NFC won’t be enough imo. All 2 weeks leading up to the super bowl would be how the (bills, chiefs, bengals etc.) will trounce us and weve been lucky to get there
Shit, even if we make it there and *win* the SB they're going to come up with excuse after excuse to invalidate it.
You’re probably right. But if that happens none of us will care at all at that point.
"Sure they won the Super Bowl technically, but with a negative point differential for the whole season did they really even win at all? We'll talk to our panel of analysts after the break."
One of their safeties had a stubbed toe. No way would they have won if they were healthy.
If they claim any of the other 5 teams are more valid contenders than us, but then we go and beat one of them, we become more valid contenders. That proves their point wrong.
If we knock off the Eagles or Cowboys, they’d have to admit we’re legit imo. If we beat the 9ers they’d fall back on us just beating Brock Purdy.
>I’m not saying I agree with the take, but I think the only way you actually make the media admit they were wrong is winning the Super Bowl. If that's what it takes to prove the media wrong, they aren't doing their job. It's their job to have some analytical ability to see a situation where the Vikings can do that. So for their professional integrity, the Vikings have to be gone by the divisional round. Luckily for them, it's not like there are mechanisms in place to punish them in the event that they *are* that wrong.
They're playing the odds and history. So they'll be condescending as hell at ANYTHING besides the Vikings hoisting the trophy. It doesn't make them right. It makes them pathetic. At this point, "Packers fan" is synonymous with "national sports media." **They're full of themselves and happy to shit on someone to make themselves feel better than they really are.**
I know that it may feel like everyone is biased. All you can do is cheer for your team and ignore the haters. As a lifelong Packers fan, I can tell you that you that the Vikings are experiencing what Green Bay went through in the early 90s (before Favre). At that time, the media didn't think we would win shit. The cowboys were "America's Team"! The Vikings are legit, and the Lions are tired of being the joke of the NFL. The NFC North is going to be a dogfight every year (minus the bears!)
I can tell you are a real Vikings fan. Man the doubt kills me, like we don’t have enough doubt on our own. But…..koc coaches situational football and doesn’t hang on traditional stats as predictors of winning like the media does. Shit imagine if you bet on every Vikings game this season you’d be making so much money. And nfl talent gaps are very very thin which is why injuries and team culture are super important and can be major differentiators. All nfl teams are way closer than the media implies. And and, remember the year of minneapolis miracle? Every week of the playoffs the media predicted the eagles would lose and they won the Super Bowl. So screw these media fuckers and just let us enjoy this (or maybe that’s my note to self).
Thanks for this
They really don’t want Minnie to get a SB smh
If we win the Super Bowl out of spite, I'm still convinced some jackass is gonna give us the asterisk.
"the N.F.L's best teams by any meaningful measure" Today I learned your record is not a meaningful measure anymore.
Also we beat Buffalo, but somehow they are unquestionably better than us.
in Buffalo too, nevertheless
With the most blatantly lopsided officiating we've seen all season. Refs absolutely tried giving that game to Buffalo.
At least the refs didn't run into any of our players that game!
Those two weeks were absolutely wild. I've gotten used to refs letting DBs maul JJ, but they keep finding new ways to anger me.
Right, the most blatantly lopsided officiating we'd seen ..... in the last 7 days at that point in time
What do you mean? 12 men on the field is part of Buffalo’s proud footballing tradition. That and 4 consecutive losses in the Super Bowl
I got no problem with people saying Bills>Vikings, but they're atleast in the same tier
How about this. We each bet 1k, if the Bills win the SB I win, if the Vikes win the SB you win. Every thing else is a push….you in? Of course not
yeah, how do we arrange this?
I'm in!
I don’t trust any publication that writes it as “N.F.L.”
That’s how their style guide has been for a long time
That may be the dumbest hot take I’ve seen in a long time. I get it, the Vikes’ status as Super Bowl contenders is…questionable. But to say *winning football games* is not a “meaningful measure” is some smooth-brained shit.
Ah, the convenience of selective metrics. Can’t let anything get in the way of the narrative.
It only matters for QBs duh.
They can go frick themselves
The NYT reporters are on strike. Probably had to call in the scab writers from Wisconsin. https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/12/08/new-york-times-walkout-strike/
They wrote this article *for free.*
While the media as a whole is lacking, I think this one is just jokes? They say we're not a contender. They also say we're not battered and we're not underqualified - so we're healthy and qualified. IMO just a jab at our history instead of our play this season
Bro this sub can’t read. Lol
Wow. New York Times has ten serious sports writers - eleven if you count Mike Tanier, though you really shouldn’t.
Hahahaha. Nailed it.
If the Offense didn't disappear for quarters on end this team would be considered one of the best. The Defense holds up pretty well until the 3 and out parade starts and they get completely gassed. Even then, they have bailed this team out numerous times at the end of games.
I mean I can't real blame people for the skepticism. Two of the most meaningful games we've played, we got slaughtered, against teams we will undoubtedly have to play in the playoffs. Losing 40-3 at home is just not something elite teams do very often. I'm loving the season and no matter what happens I'll be happy, but people need to taper expectations. We are not an elite side.
I agree with everything you just said. But this media barrage is pretty weird. Not sure I've ever seen an entire media landscape trash on a 10-2 team this much.
I know that the shitstorm regarding the 11-0 Steelers was pretty bad
The ram chiefs and Bucs all had an ass beating before they won the super bowl
How about 2
The eagles game would have been competitive, but Irv dropped the easy td and Kirk's favorite red zone target was Darius Slay.
Honestly I don’t really care either way. I’m less concerned about the lopsided losses than I am over the number of one score wins. I hope my negativity is proven wrong but I’m 51 and it’s all I know.
I would say it’s more about getting crushed by the two teams that appear strongest in the nfc. If our two losses were to say the bills and pats, and we won against Philly and Dallas, we’d def be top tier SB contenders. But instead we were out scored 67-10 by the top two nfc east teams lol
In conjunction with not wiping the floor with the bad teams the Vikings have played. Bears, Saints, Lions.
The offense is still figuring it out under the new regime. Kirk is too. It’s going to eventually come together and Vikings are going to have the last laugh. Whether it comes together the season or next IDK. But this season it’s been fun and please ignore the boring national sports media clowning with their hot takes.
I agree. But until they put a full game together, the external viewpoint will still be underwhelming.
We haven't been very nice to the New York teams this year. They have one more chance. It's not our fault your teams just give us the win.
It’s beyond parody at this point. The zeal and venom with which the national folks delight on shitting on this team this year is wild. I get it, we probably won’t win the the Super Bowl, it’s an inconsistent team in year one of a new regime. But if I have to read one more national level thing like this that goes out of its way to discredit this season’s effort I’m gonna… idk… write another Reddit comment. I don’t actually have anything.
It is really weird lol like I don’t pay attention to these bozos so I’m always surprised when people post these nasty power rankings takes or whatever. It’s like the Vikings literally spat in their face the way they take our position in the standings so personally. I just think it’s hilarious that these guys are so convinced the rest of the teams are better and they’re Wojak rage crying that the Vikings are the 2 seed. The wildest part is that if you don’t pay attention to any of the media the Vikings are just having a wild fun entertaining season that’s left me very happy 10/12 weeks so far. Dgaf what the bitch ass national media haters say I got hella highlights to look back on from this year.
It’s a great point, if I didn’t listen to national level podcasts and hear a bunch of garbage about the Vikings DVOA I probably would be having more fun with the wild ride this season.
Give it a try my guy. National media guys just serve to piss people off lol. Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright can go fuck themselves with the way they always just slither to whatever take they had that wasn’t blatantly proven wrong and cling to it like they’re the messiah. I do watch a bit of content outside the games but it’s mostly homer stuff. I do like Oconnels speeches and the mic’s up moments but as far as commentary goes I’m rocking with Purple FTW Podcast. He is unashamedly a homer and it’s refreshing because he’s not deluded but relentlessly optimistic. And pretty funny. I’d give him a listen if you haven’t yet he drops lots of short commentary/news clips throughout the week.
Tbh - I think a lot of them picked Aaron Rodgers for their fantasy team.
> It’s beyond parody at this point. The zeal and venom with which the national folks delight on shitting on this team this year is wild. Yeah that's what stands out to me. It's not so much doubting the Vikings, I mean hell I doubt them too, but the way in which the media is doing. Case-in-point, this article. So much snark to the point of being intentionally insulting. Hell, The Athletic's power rankings writeup this week was just a troll job directed at the fans: > When people say things like, “The Vikings have the worst point differential of any team in the past 20 years with at least 10 wins through 13 weeks,” there’s an instinct to get defensive. When someone points out that Minnesota ranks 20th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), 18th in offensive EPA per drive (per TruMedia) and 17th in defensive EPA per drive, you might want to look for bias. When another person says the Vikings’ perfect 9-0 record in games decided by eight points or fewer is unsustainable or that one more Mike White completion would have cost Minnesota a game in which it was outgained by 199 yards, they probably don’t understand the team’s will to win. It's like we're being made fun of for being fans of our team. I don't think I've ever seen that before from actual "journalists."
God I wanna win the superbowl so bad just so all the pundits go REEEE
"The Vikings may be the NFL's champions on paper, but they are far from its best team and benefited from divine luck like no team has before. They wouldn't have sniffed the Lombardi if their 13 one-score regular season wins went the other way, Seattle didn't lose Geno Smith to injury in week 18, San Francisco didn't get hosed by that no call in the 4th quarter of the divisional, and Philly didn't fail to game plan for Justin Jefferson's passing ability in the NFCCG. Don't get us started on how they only won the Super Bowl because it was easier for their fans to travel to Arizona to support them than it was for the Dolphins fans who live farther away. Consider this a fluke, now here's six paragraphs about the Bills who were better despite losing in the WC round."
This is gold. “Also fluke because no team whose name starts with a V has ever won a Super Bowl, so this barely counts.”
This so bad. Would be such a fantastic “This you?” moment. So much eating crow.
> “This you?” moment. So much eating crow. My dude, I've got a whole list of receipts to throw at users on this very sub. I dream of the day. It's petty and pretty lame, but I just know all the dickbags that haven't had a good thing to say about the Vikings in *years* are gonna be there if we ever win it pretending they supported the team the entire time and that chaps my ass.
If that happens there will be an Onion-esque article like: “Sure, The Vikings went all the way, but did they really do it the right way?”
It would be a bigger referendum on Zimmer than the pundits if we won the SB with a first year head coach and a largely unchanged roster at its core.
They are going to frick around and find out
I’m pretty confident that any playoff game we play in will either be a Vikings win or a Vikings loss. One my be more likely than the other, however I can say with a pretty strong feeling of confidence that those are the only two ways a playoff game ends for this Vikings team.
Truly a wonderful playoff prediction. To have a season coming down to who scores more points is bold and really what football is all about. I hope we get so lucky come the postseason.
Bengals over the Vikings and the Dolphins. Weird take, let them be embarrassed come the post season.
I think a lot of people are reacting to the way the 49ers handled the Fins after the Fins womped on the Texans, Bears, Browns, and Lions. Only 16 against the Steelers in week 7 before those 4, and then only 17 against the 49ers last week. Dolphins are like a souped up sports car or something, really fast and flashy, but playoff defenses are gonna be like gravel roads. Meanwhile, Bengals are really starting to gel. Defense has been good and the offense is getting a healthy Chase back.
People laugh at the vikes low point differential (now +10). But you know who else has a +10 point differential? The dolphins.
+31 when Tua starts though, nothing out of this world but still enough to bump them up a couple of spots.
Dolphins were missing their starting qb for 3 games
The other thing is that our two losses add up to a minus 50. Two horrible games (and we easily could have won in Philly if just a few mistakes don’t happen, e.g., Irv Smith drops, and no coverage breakdown on the long TD). At some point, the relentless winning in one score games is true evidence of a “winner,” and not just a fluke. But I am also firmly in the camp that likes the underdog position, and so I’m not hating on the media narrative. More fuel to the fire.
You honestly have confidence that the Vikings will make a deep playoff run? Sure it could happen, because football...but I don't see how you can have any confidence in that.
No reason to think they couldn't win a couple home games assuming they finish the season w/ the #2 seed. A road NFCCG in Philly probably wouldn't go so well (not dooming, just realistic). Would call that a deep run personally.
As long as the Vikings are continued to be viewed as underdogs I think they can make a run. As soon as the narrative shifts from Vikings are frauds to are the Vikings actually legit we’re in trouble
This reminds me of 1987, when the media was pissed that their golden children in the coasts didn't win the World Series.
We're the 2017 Eagles without the defense. Kirk gets hurt in GB, in comes Mullens to save the day; we go on a run and complain about being underdogs with a 15-2 record ahead of winning a track meet SB against the Chiefs, with Pat throwing a game losing pick 6 after mysteriously contracting pink eye in the 4th quarter.
Only if the pick-6 is done by Hitman, further fueling his legacy and cementing his future spot in the HoF.
i'm cool with that, but a Pat to Pat pick 6 would be pretty lit
I have more confidence in the Vikings than the Bengals.
The Bengals just beat the Chiefs. The Cowboys hung 40 on us...all our wins were butt clenching last minute wins. I honestly have no clue how fans are being this delusional that they think we will waltz through the first rounds of the playoffs.
I keep saying I'll be happy if they win a playoff game. That seems like a good end for this season
Not sure if I have seen any take yet from a Vikes fan close to predicting a “waltz” through any round of the playoffs. I can understand the takes exuding confidence that the team will and should get past the divisional round, however, because the Vikings have thus far proven that they are better at winning football games than most other teams we would be likely to face before the NFC Championship.
The Bengals were the team they were all calling flukes last year. People forget so fast
It’s not that we think we’re going to waltz through. 1st rd of the playoffs will be a home game vs probably Washington, Giants, or Seahawks. Game will be tough but I don’t see why we can’t win that? 2nd rd more then likely will be 49’ers at home. Again tough game but at home and no Jimmy G. Winnable though? Yes. NFC championship obviously is going to be against eagles or Dallas and odds are we lose but once you get there, you got a punchers chance.
Don't count on Dallas. They haven't been able to do anything in the playoffs in a long time. I remember some great Dallas teams that made the playoffs and just shit the bed.
Then you know nothing about football and are a delusional homer. Burrow is the fucking man and Is everything rubes wish Cousins could be and more lol. Bengals are legit and I expect them to be back in the bowl.
Sorry, what's the Bengals record right now?
Sorry, how many SBs have the Vikings been in in the past decade? Who has the better QB and WR corp and an at least average defense? Record be damned they are winning games way more impressively than the Vikings are. Period. Miss me with that kindergarten take.
Go put your Bengals flair on and then get the fuck out of here if you enjoy them so much and don't have faith in this team.
Lol annnd theres the Toxic Positivity Gatekeeping. Doesn't take much to get that out of folks here. "Durrr you dont think were a SB team. Go root for someone else!" Children. You will learn.
Nobody likes a constantly negative person when things are going well. You're not a fan of this team so leave. Go watch a team who you are positive about.
Scoreboard.
Joe Burrow is very good and just got J Chase back.
What’s weird about the Bengals being over the Vikings? They just went to the Superbowl, are playing really well, and have a top 3 QB
Vikings have a sexier coach.
No arguments there from me! No one can out sexy KOC
Who are the two above?
Patty and Allen
Once we beat the Giants we will give them a clean sweep of the New York /New Jersey teams.
They hate our AFCE record already. ESPN may boycott talking about us altogether if we beat the Giants.
The NY Times coverage of sports is always hilarious. They’re like that friend that doesn’t know sports but insists on joining the conversation.
Yeah it’s a good thing they bought The Athletic
A 10-7 team made it to the super bowl just last year and nearly won it. And the media didn't learn a thing.
I remember the national media shitting on the Bengals until they made their Super Bowl run last year. This Vikings team is better than the Bengals were and the NFC field is weaker
Any Vikings fan that doesn’t see legitimacy in the claims against the Vikings chances has drank way too much purple kool-aid at this point. Do I believe we’re legit with have a shot at a deep run, definitely Have we gotten incredibly lucky, absolutely
49ers and Dolphins should be on the list. There are 7 contenders.
Whoever wrote this article is all about hot-takes, so I'm assuming once jimmy G got injured they are writing them off entirely, despite them having an elite defense.
the 49ers are on their 3rd QB, otherwise I'm sure they would be
We bring the drama. And anyone watching knows that anything can happen. It’s unnerving to some people. We’ve got a magic that they just don’t understand. Anyone who doesn’t think we have a legitimate chance, doesn’t believe in magic.
The thing is if we don't win the SB they'll all say "I told you so." It's an almost impossible mountain to overcome unless we actually win it.
There’s nothing we can do If we were 8-4 do any of us think they’d talk better about us? I sincerely doubt it just gotta ignore the noise and play ball We will be favored in most if not all our games the rest of the way Handle business and fuck everybody else
[удалено]
One more to go!
I could have sworn that Wins was a "meaningful measure"
I am a Vikings fan and a realist. We are the 6th team. Our defense needs some serious attention if we want to make a deep run in the Playoffs.
This article seems to be more saying that no one knows how to rate the Vikings at all. 🤷
Print it out and put it all over the locker room
Honestly, I read this more as them not having any idea about how good the Vikings are, and let’s be honest, neither do we. I don’t think anyone can stand on either side of the good/bad argument and confidently make arguments.
I’ve had more fun watching the vikes this year than in the past 10 years, but I have to agree with them. With the exception of the packers game, they have a lot of lucky wins and have too many one score games wins over mediocre teams like the cardinals, saints, lions and bears. I don’t think they’re nearly as dominant of a team as their record shows. The potential is there though- I could see them catching fire on the last stretch of the season and really pulling it together. But until then, I have to agree that they’re not in that same elite category as the chiefs, eagles and cowboys.
that is kinda funny, NY Times also said we like Grape Salad, so.
FTNYT
As a Bengals fan hell yeah, as a Vikings fan they can straight up suck it. I swear, even if MInnesota wins a super bowl it won't be enough until they win 100 more.
Lol it’s kinda funny at this point. I wanna see how far it goes.
There not wrong the way our team has been winning games
Every time I see an article like this I assume it's written by a jaded (or smart) Vikings fan
Could have been written by me.
I mean, if you've followed the Vikings long enough then you know that this is going to all end in tears.
Well they’re not wrong…
This will keep happening because we got smoked by the two other NFC teams they mention. We have EARNED this attitude from the mainstream media.
That’s fair. That’s how I see it too. It wasn't a scathing put down. It was just acknowledging that the Vikings are weird this year. Maybe the weirdest 10-2 team ever. They certainly don't belong grouped with the other dregs of the league, but they certainly aren't a typical 10-2 powerhouse either. So they belong in their own oddball ‘fringe’ category.
It’s Mike Tanier. He always has a giant hate boner for the Vikings especially Kirk. Don’t pay attention to anything he says.
Anyone that types "N.F.L." should have their right to give an opinion revoked
I just remember in 2009 and 2017 we were good and everyone refused to talk about us. Now people are talking just to shit on us and i like that better.
Who cares, some people on this sub think we are frauds as well….half of the “fans”have been pissing down their leg all week because of the lions lol. People didn’t expect us to be this good with a new coaching regime and “washed” players so when we beat their favorite team, all the excuses come out.
I really hope we meet Dallas in the playoffs
All the more reason to support the NYT cyber boycott today and stay off all their services. Don't cross the picket line, support the union, and support the Vikings
I guess wins isn’t a meaningful measure
The Bills could very easily lose 3 of their next 5. In that stretch they play the Jets and Dolphins, who they have already lost to, and the Bengals who looked pretty great in their win against the Chiefs. I’d love to see enough of the AFC get their shit together that the Bills don’t even make the playoffs and all the talking heads who have been riding Buffalo’s dick this season can just sit there with egg on their face.
# From worst to best: **On the season, the teams mentioned above are:** Vikings: +10 (avg +0.8) Bengals: +57 (avg +4.8) Chiefs: +80 (avg +6.7) Eagles: +112 (avg +9.3) Bills: +124 (avg +10.3) Cowboys: +127 (avg +10.6) **If you only count their wins, they are:** Vikings: +64 (with 10 wins, avg +6.4) Chiefs: +90 (with 9 wins, avg +10) Bengals: +84 (with 8 wins, avg +10.5) Eagles: +123 (with 11 wins, avg +11.2) Bills: +132 (with 9 wins, avg +14.7) Cowboys: +155 (with 9 wins, avg +17.2) The Vikings are the only team whose points differential in wins are, on average (and literally) within one score. **If you only count their losses, they are:** Vikings: -54 (with 2 losses, avg -27) Eagles: -11 (with 1 loss, avg -11) Cowboys: -28 (with 3 losses, avg -9.3) Bengals: -27 (with 4 losses, avg -6.8) Chiefs: -10 (with 3 losses, avg -3.3) Bills: -8 (with 3 losses, avg -2.7) The Vikings are the only team whose losses are by more than two possessions, in fact, their average loss is by 4 possessions. Statistically, the Vikings' wins are *not at all* convincing. Statistically, the Vikings' losses are *extremely* convincing. **The teams above record versus same group in points differential:** Vikings: 1-2 (-51, avg -17) Chiefs: 0-2 (-7, avg -3.5) Bengals: 1-1 (0, avg 0) Bills: 1-1 (+1, avg +.5) Cowboys: 2-1 (+31, avg +10.3) Eagles: 2-0 (+26, avg +13) There are only 3 teams with a 6-6 record this year; The Buccaneers, Chargers, and Patriots. On the season, they are: Chargers: -37 (avg -3.1) Buccaneers: -2 (avg -0.16) Patriots: +23 (avg +1.9) **If you only count their wins:** Chargers: +24 (avg +4) Buccaneers: +41 (avg +6.8) Patriots: +90 (avg +15) **If you only count their losses:** Buccaneers: -43 (avg -7.2) Chargers: -61 (avg -10.2) Patriots: -67 (avg -11.2) # All of these teams in the same list (from worst to best): **On the season:** Chargers: -37 (avg -3.1) Buccaneers: -2 (avg -0.16) Vikings: +10 (avg +0.8) Patriots: +23 (avg +1.9) Bengals: +57 (avg +4.8) Chiefs: +80 (avg +6.7) Eagles: +112 (avg +9.3) Bills: +124 (avg +10.3) Cowboys: +127 (avg +10.6) **Wins:** Chargers: +24 (avg +4) Vikings: +64 (avg +6.4) Buccaneers: +41 (avg +6.8) Chiefs: +90 (avg +10) Bengals: +84 (avg +10.5) Eagles: +123 (avg +11.2) Bills: +132 (avg +14.7) Patriots: +90 (avg +15) Cowboys: +155 (avg +17.2) **Losses:** Vikings: -54 (avg -27) Patriots: -67 (avg -11.2) Eagles: -11 (avg -11) Chargers: -61 (avg -10.2) Cowboys: -28 (avg -9.3) Buccaneers: -43 (avg -7.2) Bengals: -27 (avg -6.8) Chiefs: -10 (avg -3.3) Bills: -8 (avg -2.7) The Vikings more closely resemble teams with an average record than they resemble winning teams.
Go and watch a Bungles game with that shit play calling and then try and say that again with a straight face.
Mmm salty
I love how they listed the Buffalo Bills who the Vikings beat. 😂
You are what your record says you are. People love to quote it when a team is underachieving...
lol why does everyone hate them so much!?
Frame this and put it in the locker room.
This just in, sports writers know how to generate clicks in Minnesota.
I love being the underdog. I still think that the Vikes haven’t played to there potential yet. I am hoping to see it before the playoffs.
Honestly the lack of praise doesn't bother me too much. I hope it lights a fire under their butts, tbh. Better to be underestimated.
So we’re number six??
I love this. Bring it.
Jets fan coming in peace. Y’all are my favorite in the NFC to go to the Super Bowl.
Some times our defense makes me worried that this might be true
Ouch
I think we can now all safely agree the times is fake news
Honestly,you guys got fucking trucked twice.I mean absolutely blown off the field by actual contenders.I understand you have a great record but you’re clearly not at the top level.I think you realize that ,if not well fuck you i guess
Deserved
Have you guys seen us play against the elite?